Seniors Speak Out: Remembering Sally Ride's journey into space

Tuesday, June 18, marked the 30-year anniversary of Sally Ride’s journey into space – the first woman ever to make the ascent.Recent news reports detail NASA’s hiring of eight new astronauts, four of whom are women – the highest percentage in history.In celebration of this momentous occasion, Barclay Friends residents and short stay guests were asked to share their thoughts.

Bill Broomell: Where was Bill 30 years ago?“I remember the date (of the landing) vaguely.I would have been in Florida,” Bill recalls.“I lived there for five years.As a younger man, Bill did not aspire to be an astronaut.“I was on the water,” he says, “in the Navy.They have women in the service now too – they have as much a right as men do if they qualify – I mean that.They do as much work as (men) do and we should pay them the same.”Bill notes that Ride’s journey was groundbreaking because “at that time women weren’t doing what men were doing.”

Helen Carey: “We were waiting around to hear about it on the radio.I was at my sister’s,” says Helen, “and her TV broke down, so we propped it up with an umbrella, but we got goofy reception.”Helen had two sisters – she was the oldest.“We had to go to a neighbor’s – I was furious at my sister.We just hoped (Sally Ride) would make it up all right and not stop to powder her nose.That’s what everyone thought (women) did.I just read the article this morning,” Helen continues, referring to news coverage concerning the new astronauts.“I was glad to see that we’ve come a long way.I remember the night of the landing, the Monkees were playing someplace in Jersey.My niece had her mom drop her off – she didn’t care about the landing at all.”

Harley Schneider: “I saw (footage of the landing) on television,” says Harley.“They re-ran it for the occasion. (The year of the landing) was the year that I retired from Kodak.I had an early retirement – it was a hard decision for me to make.My wife helped me make the decision.” Could Harley imagine his wife as an astronaut?“I’m not sure,” he says.“She was very daring, and she would try things she never tried before.We went to the lake once with a couple from our church – they told us to wear our bathing suits because they had jet-skis.Well she got right up there and she didn’t have a bit of a problem.She made out like a professional – it really amazed me!”